“I think it was a God thing,” said Joyce Wright, the executive director of the Open Arms Crisis Pregnancy Center. “God put it on my heart that we needed to do this until Roe v. Wade is reversed.”

Wright eventually partnered with Henderson County's Ministerial Association to organize a candle-lighting service on the anniversary of the court decision each year.

This year, the Lights for Life Service will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Hendersonville's First Presbyterian Church.

The service, which is designed to bring light into darkness and celebrate life, is free and open to the public. Open Arms and the ministerial association are co-sponsoring the event.

At the end of the service at First Presbyterian, participants will light 265 candles and hold them as they walk around the block along Seventh Avenue. Each candle will represent 200,000 abortions that have been performed in the years following the 1973 Supreme Court decision that led to the legalization of abortion.

Wright said she wants to make people aware that each abortion represents a life and educate people about health care advances that can help pregnant women.

“We believe it's the heart of God to bring awareness,” she said.

The event has grown over the years and is expected to draw between 200 and 300 people. Pastors and members of several local churches are planning to participate.

First Presbyterian has hosted the Lights for Life service for three years. Bill Campbell, the church's pastor, said he is happy to host the event.

“We want to make an acknowledgement that we stand for life. We believe God gives life from conception,” he said.

Campbell said he also hopes to the service will help bring healing to people whose lives have been touched by abortion. Some people may have never talked about their experiences and suffer without anyone knowing about their pain, he said.

“The issue of the sanctity of life and Roe v. Wade, these things strike our lives, and we don't talk about it,” he said.

Campbell said he hopes the service will allow all of the people who attend to ask for God's grace and forgiveness.

“We want to do it in a way that is supportive. We don't want to condemn,” he said. “We are all sinners.”

Wright said Lights for Life is not part of any other area or national events planned for the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.

“I hoped it would spread to every church in the area, but it hasn't,” she said.

Lights for Life is supported by the different denominations and churches that make up the Henderson County Ministerial Association.

Becky Garrett, Women's Ministry director at Mud Creek Baptist and a member of Open Arms' board of directors, planned this year's service. Mud Creek Baptist is scheduled to host the event next year.

Open Arms, at 329 N. Washington St., is a nonprofit agency that helps women with crisis pregnancies.

“We try to help any way we can,” Wright said. “We help any woman who comes through that door.”

The agency provides counseling and referral services, and it assists mothers after their babies are born.

<p>Four years ago, the director of a crisis pregnancy center in Hendersonville wanted to do something to remember the Supreme Court's decision that made abortion legal in the United States.</p><p>“I think it was a God thing,” said Joyce Wright, the executive director of the Open Arms Crisis Pregnancy Center. “God put it on my heart that we needed to do this until Roe v. Wade is reversed.”</p><p>Wright eventually partnered with Henderson County's Ministerial Association to organize a candle-lighting service on the anniversary of the court decision each year.</p><p>This year, the Lights for Life Service will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Hendersonville's First Presbyterian Church.</p><p>The service, which is designed to bring light into darkness and celebrate life, is free and open to the public. Open Arms and the ministerial association are co-sponsoring the event.</p><p>At the end of the service at First Presbyterian, participants will light 265 candles and hold them as they walk around the block along Seventh Avenue. Each candle will represent 200,000 abortions that have been performed in the years following the 1973 Supreme Court decision that led to the legalization of abortion.</p><p>Wright said she wants to make people aware that each abortion represents a life and educate people about health care advances that can help pregnant women.</p><p>“We believe it's the heart of God to bring awareness,” she said.</p><p>The event has grown over the years and is expected to draw between 200 and 300 people. Pastors and members of several local churches are planning to participate.</p><p>First Presbyterian has hosted the Lights for Life service for three years. Bill Campbell, the church's pastor, said he is happy to host the event.</p><p>“We want to make an acknowledgement that we stand for life. We believe God gives life from conception,” he said.</p><p>Campbell said he also hopes to the service will help bring healing to people whose lives have been touched by abortion. Some people may have never talked about their experiences and suffer without anyone knowing about their pain, he said.</p><p>“The issue of the sanctity of life and Roe v. Wade, these things strike our lives, and we don't talk about it,” he said.</p><p>Campbell said he hopes the service will allow all of the people who attend to ask for God's grace and forgiveness.</p><p>“We want to do it in a way that is supportive. We don't want to condemn,” he said. “We are all sinners.”</p><p>Wright said Lights for Life is not part of any other area or national events planned for the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.</p><p>“I hoped it would spread to every church in the area, but it hasn't,” she said.</p><p>Lights for Life is supported by the different denominations and churches that make up the Henderson County Ministerial Association.</p><p>Becky Garrett, Women's Ministry director at Mud Creek Baptist and a member of Open Arms' board of directors, planned this year's service. Mud Creek Baptist is scheduled to host the event next year.</p><p>Open Arms, at 329 N. Washington St., is a nonprofit agency that helps women with crisis pregnancies.</p><p>“We try to help any way we can,” Wright said. “We help any woman who comes through that door.”</p><p>The agency provides counseling and referral services, and it assists mothers after their babies are born.</p><p>Park Ridge Health, Wright said, provides free ultrasounds for Open Arms clients.</p><p>“Advances in medical science … have helped more women with unplanned pregnancies choose life,” she said. “Ultrasounds, in particular, have helped. … We can now show women their babies much earlier.”</p><p>Open Arms also provides abortion recovery counseling to women who have terminated pregnancies.</p><p>“They need to know God has forgiven them,” Wright said.</p>